Wokingham Borough Council

Skyguard currently work with over 130 local authorities in providing lone worker protection for a wide variety of job roles. One such authority is Wokingham Borough Council.

The local authority is responsible for a wide range of public-led services throughout the area covering their 160,000+ residents. The Council have issued MySOS personal alarms to their Car Park Supervisors to ensure they can call for backup and support in the event of an emergency.

Employees face a number of threats, not least from the public; the Council had reported issues that faced a number of their lone workers whist performing their duties. This included verbal and physical abuse which the Council takes a zero tolerance policy against. One particularly volatile incident ended up with the offender being convicted of their crime.

No employee should feel intimidated or face aggression for doing their job but the harsh reality means staff need to have a quick and easy method of calling for assistance in such scenarios.

Wokingham Borough Council approached Skyguard as the leading supplier of lone worker protection. The council opted to equip their Supervisors with the keyfob-sized MYSOS personal safety device.

The MySOS is simple to use and discreet. It can be worn in a number of ways including on a lanyard, as an ID badge, on a holster or using the accompanying keychain. With one-button alarm press that links directly to Skyguard’s 24/7 Incident Management Centre, help is never far away.

With two-way audio communications, GPS tracking and locating and a host of other features, the device is fully accredited to the highest industry standards including BS 8484:2016 and ‘Secured by Design’. Everything that is required to action a rapid response has been carefully designed within the device’s functionality.

Helen Allen, Parking Manager for Wokingham Borough Council explains, “The MySOS is worn by my Car Park Supervisors at all times when on duty patrolling the Council’s car parks.”

“It gives them the confidence that they can contact someone covertly in the first instance but also that they can speak with Skyguard’s Controllers if necessary.”

Helen Allen, Parking Manager for Wokingham Borough Council

“We have had two incidents where the MySOS device was successful in alerting us to assaults. The first allowed us to know accurately where our colleague was and the recording of the second incident was used in court to gain a conviction against the aggressor.”

All calls and actions are digitally recorded on secure servers within our BS 5979 (Category II) approved Incident Management Centre, should they be needed as legal evidence. Skyguard’s audio recordings have led to numerous successful prosecutions, including the one mentioned by Helen.